Criminal Justice and Corrections at College of DuPage

The small sample size here is critical—with fewer than 30 graduates tracked, this data might not reflect typical outcomes. That said, the numbers suggest College of DuPage's criminal justice program faces a significant earnings gap compared to peers. First-year earnings of $28,749 trail both the Illinois median ($31,453) and national median ($33,269) by roughly $3,000-4,500. Perhaps more telling: nearby community colleges like Harper and Lewis and Clark send their graduates into jobs paying $31,000-38,000, suggesting the local job market can support higher wages.

The bright spot is the debt load. At $7,521, graduates here owe less than half what typical Illinois criminal justice students carry ($15,743), which produces a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.26. This keeps the financial risk relatively low even with below-average starting pay.

For parents considering this program, the key question is whether these lower earnings persist or reflect a data quirk from the small sample. If your child is drawn to law enforcement or corrections work and plans to stay local, it's worth investigating why DuPage graduates aren't capturing the higher wages available at other Illinois community colleges. The low debt provides a cushion, but entering the field $3,000-9,000 behind peers from comparable programs deserves explanation before committing.